This invention relates in general to a horse shoe, and, more particularly, to a resiliently flexible horse shoe capable of absorbing severe shocks and preventing lacerations to the horse, other horses or to riders.
Persons familiar with the handling of horses, particularly horses used in racing and the like, have long been aware of the need for a better horse shoe. It is well-known that the legs of horses, and particularly their ankles, tendons, knees and shoulders, are frequently injured by the shocks incurred from impact of their hooves with relatively hard surfaces, especially during competition.
Another serious problem created by existing horse shoes involves the painful and crippling lacerations often produced in one leg of a horse by the edge of a horse shoe on the hoof of another leg.
Resilient horse shoes are known; see e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 152,975, 3,302,723, 1,946,636, 3,513,915, 3,050,133 and 586,558. These horse shoes all suffer various difficulties which render them unsuitable for use with racing horses. For example, some of the horse shoes require nails for attachment, which introduces the possibility of accidental nailing injuries. Other horse shoes do not adequately protect the hoof; an unprotected hoof may inflict a horse's legs with bruises, cuts and contusions during the course of a horse race.
Thus, there remains a need for a light weight, resilient horse shoe which can stand up to the rigors brought on by racing competition.